SYSTEM OF NATURE. 
•21 
mouth, playing numberless fantastic tricks with it.”* In 
Captain Weddell’s Voyage we also find an apparently au¬ 
thentic narrative of the discovery, on the South Shetland 
Islands, of another marine animal, entirely different from 
any with which we are acquainted. “ A boat’s crew were 
employed” says Captain Weddell, “on Hall Island, and 
the man who saw this animal was left on one side of the 
island to take care of some produce, while the officers and 
the rest of the crew were engaged on the other side. The 
sailor had gone to bed, and about 10 o’clock he heard a 
noise resembling human cries, and as daylight in these 
latitudes never disappears at this season, he rose and 
looked around, but on seeing no person he returned to 
bed ; presently he heard the noise again, and rose a second 
time, but still saw nothing. Conceiving however the pos¬ 
sibility of a boat being upset, and that some of the crew 
might be clinging to some detached rocks, he walked 
along the beach a few steps, and heard the noise more 
distinctly, but in a musical strain. On searching around 
he saw an object lying on a rock a dozen yards from the 
shore, at which he was somewhat frightened. The face 
and shoulders appeared of human form, and of a reddish 
colour ; over the shoulders hung long green hair ; the tail 
resembled that of the seal, but the extremities of the arms 
he could not see distinctly. The creature continued to 
make a musical noise while he gazed about two minutes, 
and on perceiving him it disappeared in an instant. Im¬ 
mediately when the man saw his officer he told this wild 
tale, the truth of which was, of course, doubted; but to 
add weight to his testimony (being a catholic) he made a 
* Shaw’s General Zdblogy. 
